Golden Scoop Corporate Championship Returns April 4 CONNECTICUT FOOD NEWS

Transcription

1 Golden Scoop Corporate Championship Returns April 4 For the third year in a row, teams from Connecticut businesses and corporations will compete for bragging rights to the most muscle in the fight against hunger. The challenge: scoop the most dried pasta in one hour, filling bags one pound at a time. Competitors last year included Wells Fargo, Stop & Shop, Webster Bank, Burns & McDonnell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eversource, Pepperidge Farm, Knights of Columbus, and Henkel Corporation. Wells Fargo won the crown or scoop by filling 106 cases with 2,120 pounds of pasta in the span of one hour. Saturday Mobile Pantry Launches in New Haven Does your business have what it takes to unseat last year s champs? Contact Mia Allen, Corporate Development Manager, at or her at mallen@ctfoodbank.org to learn more. The Connecticut Food Bank recently launched its first Saturday Mobile Pantry. Working in conjunction with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta for Progressive Action, the Mobile Pantry is offered on the third Saturday of every month from 11:00AM to 12:00PM at John Martinez School in New Haven. The first distribution took place on December 15, The Connecticut Food Bank Recognizes Donors John Martinez School was chosen for a number of reasons. The school is a Summer Meals Mobile Pantry site, and for the past two summers, the number of people visiting the mobile pantry has grown tremendously from an average of 175 people the first summer to an average of 250 people the second summer. Dr. Mellisa Pensa from Fair Haven Community Health Care spearheaded the union of the three programs. Fair Haven Community Health Care is a community health center that prides itself on providing high quality care that is culturally sensitive. Dr. Pensa reached out to the Executive Director of Junta, Daniel S. Reyes, to provide volunteers to distribute the food from the mobile pantry. Junta provides services and programs that improve the social, political, and economic conditions of the Latino community in greater New Haven while building bridges with other communities. The Connecticut Food Bank recognized donors from the business, education, and private sectors at the Annual Donor Appreciation Reception held at the food bank on October 18. The evening recognized many dedicated donors who make possible the work of the Connecticut Food Bank and provided guests with an opportunity to get a glimpse inside the agencies and programs that distribute food throughout our service area. Connecticut Food Bank CEO, Bernie Beaudreau, presented awards in six categories to donors demonstrating long-time commitment and high levels of engagement. 1. The Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools was presented for the second year in a row to the Hopkins School, in New Haven, for their long-standing engagement, volunteerism, and fundraising. 2. The Commitment and Service Award was presented to KeyBank and to James Trimble, a New Haven resident and seven-year volunteer with the Connecticut Food Bank. 3. The Harvest Club Award was presented to Paul and Sandra Linton of Madison, recognizing their decadeslong giving to the Connecticut Food Bank The Corporate Impact Award was presented to Stop & Shop for their significant and ongoing support of the Connecticut Food Bank through food drives, corporate food donations, store-based charitable giving campaigns, and their founding support of the GROW! Up With Good Nutrition program. All three organizations have come together to provide a highly desired service to a community in need. Fair Haven Community Health Care is introducing the services of the Mobile Pantry to the participants of their diabetes prevention program because the mobile pantry specializes in providing fresh produce and dairy items beneficial to people with nutrition-related health issues. Dr. Pensa wants to remove the barriers of access to fresh produce not only to the participants of the Fair Haven Community Health Care program, but to the community at large. Dr. Pensa said the Mobile Pantry is an excellent channel for her participants to bring home fresh produce and put into practice things they have learned in the diabetes prevention program. 5. The Media Impact Award was presented to KC101 FM, for hosting the annual Thanksgiving Stuff-A-Bus food and fund drive, which marked its 28th year in November. 6. The Nancy Carrington Award, for personal commitment to the Connecticut Food Bank, was presented to Norman and Celeste LaCroix, of Westport, recognizing Norman s active support as a Board member and his shared financial and personal support with Celeste at many food bank events. HEADQUARTERS AND 2 Research Parkway Wallingford, CT t/ f/ BRIDGEPORT 229 Mountain Grove Street Bridgeport, CT t/ f/ The Connecticut Food Bank welcomes questions, comments and ideas. All correspondence should be addressed to the Development Department. If your name is incorrect or you are receiving duplicate mailings, please call Sue Moore at or cfb@ctfoodbank.org. The Connecticut Food Bank donor reception was sponsored by Power Station Events, David Alan Catering, and Fast Signs. VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 Connecticut Food Bank is a partner of Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to more than 46 million people each year. This Mobile Pantry is a key step forward for the Connecticut Food Bank as we begin our Hunger to Health initiative. This is just the beginning of a burgeoning partnership to collaborate more extensively in other ways with the Fair Haven Community Health Care diabetes prevention program. 15-XCOFB-0219-N 6 L to R: Dr. Mellisa Pensa, of Fair Haven Community Health Care; Pete Bellacicco and Frederick Goodman, of Connecticut Food Bank; and Junta Executive Director Daniel S. Reyes at the Connecticut Food Bank Saturday Mobile Pantry, December 15, Students from Choate School provided volunteer support at the first Saturday Mobile Pantry held in collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta, December 15, Fair Haven Community Health Care is a partner in a new Saturday Mobile Pantry site in New Haven along with Junta for Progressive Action. 1

2 FROM THE CEO: A Look Back and A Look Ahead Dear Friends, I hope this finds you and your family well. We wrapped up another year at the Connecticut Food Bank and this newsletter is both a look back and a look forward. We have lots of exciting news to share. In this newsletter you ll learn more about our work to support better nutrition and health outcomes for people who rely on food resources from the Connecticut Food Bank. HUNGER TO HEALTH: Hunger to Health goes beyond our already high standards for nutrition content in the foods we distribute to include information and tools for Connecticut Food Bank member agencies, and for the families that shop in our network to make healthy food choices. It also builds partnerships with health care providers to increase awareness of and access to health care services for people in need. (Included on pages 3 and 4) MOBILE PANTRY: As we went to press, we launched our first Saturday Mobile Pantry, on December 15, in partnership with Fair Haven Community Health and Junta for Progressive Action in New Haven. The Saturday pantry makes it easier for the many working people who rely on our resources, and the collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health and Junta helps us to link food resources, health access, and community support systems for people trying to improve their lives. We welcomed more than 80 households on that first Saturday and expect to see the numbers grow. See photos in this newsletter. (Included on page 1) GROCERY GETTER: Retail grocery donations are an important means of getting fresh foods to our network of member agencies. While millions of pounds from retail grocers flow through our warehouse, we also directly link local stores with member agencies to speed the flow of food where it is needed. A new truck provided by a recent grant from the Walmart Foundation is part of a cooperative program we operate with United Way of Western Connecticut. Read more in this issue. (Included on page 4) DONOR RECOGNITION: This doesn t happen without you. And we can t say thank you enough. Last October, we honored donors at a reception. Read more in this issue and visit ctfoodbank.org/because to watch a video we have prepared that we hope expresses just how important you are in fulfilling our mission. (Included on page 5) With gratitude, Bernie Beaudreau CEO 2

3 HUNGER AND HEALTH A Statewide Collaborative In early November, Connecticut Food Bank CEO, Bernie Beaudreau, addressed the Hunger and Health in Connecticut Conference hosted by the Connecticut Hospital Association as part of its statewide collaborative to address social determinants of health. The collaborative focuses on three domains: housing, food, and transportation. Beaudreau presented the Connecticut Food Bank Hunger to Health initiative, a strategy for addressing the nutritional health needs of Connecticut s food insecure population. To set the stage, Beaudreau provided data on hunger in Connecticut and accompanying health factors. Despite lower rates of unemployment and a stronger economy that are helping to reduce food insecurity levels nationally, Connecticut s food insecurity rate remains high. Prior to the 2008 recession, the food insecurity rate in Connecticut was 8.8%, while today it is 12.2%, down only slightly from the recession high of 13.9%, which means 130,000 more people now struggle with hunger in Connecticut than did before the recession. The Connecticut Food Bank and its network of member agencies have seen the need for food increase. A 2017 survey of 120 food pantries conducted by the food bank reported that 63% of these locations saw an increase in demand for food assistance. The United Way 2018 ALICE report, which studies the number of people who are employed but still unable to afford basics, states that 40% of Connecticut households have incomes that are below the level needed to pay for necessities like housing, food, utilities, and transportation. Factors such as slow growth in living wage jobs and the high cost of living in Connecticut contribute to the high rate of food insecurity. People struggling with food insecurity also experience many health challenges. Food insecure individuals have increased risk for chronic diseases and don t have adequate access to healthy food to help manage their symptoms. The struggle with health-related illnesses also impacts a person s employment ability, educational status, and the quality and coverage of their health care. The Connecticut Food Bank Nutrition Distribution Policy was developed to guide decisions in food sourcing so that the products we distribute will contribute to the overall health of the people served by our member agencies. Over the past eight years, we developed the Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ) metric, which helped place us in the top 10% of Feeding America s 200 national food banks for distributing quality healthy, nutritious food. Our new distribution policy will modify and simplify the INQ metric to make it easier for partner agencies to understand the best foods to order to meet the health needs of their clients. This policy will also help food donors become more knowledgeable about what types of donated foods we will accept. We are working with health care organizations to help create links between Connecticut Food Bank programs and community health care services. We have formed a Hunger to Health Working Group that brings together 35 health care providers with state food bank leaders. Along with health care organization partnerships, we are piloting five health project programs serving the Greater New Haven area. These programs will include diabetic nutrition education, health screenings, and healthy food access training. The Connecticut Food Bank will continue to promote nutrition education through a training and production kitchen in our new Bridgeport facility. The kitchen will offer the opportunity to provide meal preparation classes and host nutrition education workshops for partner agencies and their clients. 3

4 Grocery Getter Increases Food Resources in Danbury Area IT S NOT JUST A TRIP TO THE GROCERY STORE, IT S ABOUT GETTING THOUSANDS OF MEALS TO PEOPLE IN NEED. The Connecticut Food Bank relies on the generosity of many people to facilitate donations from retail grocery stores that provide an important source of food to our network of programs. In the Danbury area, we have developed a partnership that includes the United Way of Western Connecticut, which recently joined with the Connecticut Food Bank to increase the supply of fresh, frozen, and nonperishable foods for programs that feed the hungry. While the Connecticut Food Bank had been able to build relationships with Danbury area grocers that resulted in an average of 4,000 pounds of food collected each week, it had become too expensive to offer the food to member agencies in the area because of transportation costs. The United Way of Western Connecticut and its Danbury Food Collaborative helped address this challenge by working with us to fund a driver who uses a Connecticut Food Bank vehicle made possible by a grant from the Walmart Foundation. The refrigerated delivery truck makes a circuit in the area, collecting food from local retailers and delivering to feeding programs. Our grocery getter is operated by Michael Greene, who was recently honored as a Hometown Hero at a United Way gala for his work rescuing food. Michael worked for Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Danbury for seven years picking up food at a few retail stores. The Connecticut Food Bank and the United Way of Western Connecticut share costs for the program and Michael s work. The Connecticut Food Bank provides the vehicle and United Way covers the costs of fuel and insurance. Michael started work with the new partnership in October of Each day s food pickups go directly to a local pantry, rather than coming back to a Connecticut Food Bank warehouse for redistribution. Five pantries receive items such as frozen meat, fresh produce, and nonperishable grocery items. Each pantry receives approximately 2,500 pounds per delivery. The program is making a daily difference. Surplus groceries are being kept out of the waste stream, feeding programs have increased access to food products, and their shoppers have the nutritious food they need. 4

5 Golden Scoop Corporate Championship Returns April 4 For the third year in a row, teams from Connecticut businesses and corporations will compete for bragging rights to the most muscle in the fight against hunger. The challenge: scoop the most dried pasta in one hour, filling bags one pound at a time. Competitors last year included Wells Fargo, Stop & Shop, Webster Bank, Burns & McDonnell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eversource, Pepperidge Farm, Knights of Columbus, and Henkel Corporation. Wells Fargo won the crown or scoop by filling 106 cases with 2,120 pounds of pasta in the span of one hour. Saturday Mobile Pantry Launches in New Haven Does your business have what it takes to unseat last year s champs? Contact Mia Allen, Corporate Development Manager, at or her at mallen@ctfoodbank.org to learn more. The Connecticut Food Bank recently launched its first Saturday Mobile Pantry. Working in conjunction with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta for Progressive Action, the Mobile Pantry is offered on the third Saturday of every month from 11:00AM to 12:00PM at John Martinez School in New Haven. The first distribution took place on December 15, The Connecticut Food Bank Recognizes Donors John Martinez School was chosen for a number of reasons. The school is a Summer Meals Mobile Pantry site, and for the past two summers, the number of people visiting the mobile pantry has grown tremendously from an average of 175 people the first summer to an average of 250 people the second summer. Dr. Mellisa Pensa from Fair Haven Community Health Care spearheaded the union of the three programs. Fair Haven Community Health Care is a community health center that prides itself on providing high quality care that is culturally sensitive. Dr. Pensa reached out to the Executive Director of Junta, Daniel S. Reyes, to provide volunteers to distribute the food from the mobile pantry. Junta provides services and programs that improve the social, political, and economic conditions of the Latino community in greater New Haven while building bridges with other communities. The Connecticut Food Bank recognized donors from the business, education, and private sectors at the Annual Donor Appreciation Reception held at the food bank on October 18. The evening recognized many dedicated donors who make possible the work of the Connecticut Food Bank and provided guests with an opportunity to get a glimpse inside the agencies and programs that distribute food throughout our service area. Connecticut Food Bank CEO, Bernie Beaudreau, presented awards in six categories to donors demonstrating long-time commitment and high levels of engagement. 1. The Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools was presented for the second year in a row to the Hopkins School, in New Haven, for their long-standing engagement, volunteerism, and fundraising. 2. The Commitment and Service Award was presented to KeyBank and to James Trimble, a New Haven resident and seven-year volunteer with the Connecticut Food Bank. 3. The Harvest Club Award was presented to Paul and Sandra Linton of Madison, recognizing their decadeslong giving to the Connecticut Food Bank The Corporate Impact Award was presented to Stop & Shop for their significant and ongoing support of the Connecticut Food Bank through food drives, corporate food donations, store-based charitable giving campaigns, and their founding support of the GROW! Up With Good Nutrition program. All three organizations have come together to provide a highly desired service to a community in need. Fair Haven Community Health Care is introducing the services of the Mobile Pantry to the participants of their diabetes prevention program because the mobile pantry specializes in providing fresh produce and dairy items beneficial to people with nutrition-related health issues. Dr. Pensa wants to remove the barriers of access to fresh produce not only to the participants of the Fair Haven Community Health Care program, but to the community at large. Dr. Pensa said the Mobile Pantry is an excellent channel for her participants to bring home fresh produce and put into practice things they have learned in the diabetes prevention program. 5. The Media Impact Award was presented to KC101 FM, for hosting the annual Thanksgiving Stuff-A-Bus food and fund drive, which marked its 28th year in November. 6. The Nancy Carrington Award, for personal commitment to the Connecticut Food Bank, was presented to Norman and Celeste LaCroix, of Westport, recognizing Norman s active support as a Board member and his shared financial and personal support with Celeste at many food bank events. HEADQUARTERS AND 2 Research Parkway Wallingford, CT t/ f/ BRIDGEPORT 229 Mountain Grove Street Bridgeport, CT t/ f/ The Connecticut Food Bank welcomes questions, comments and ideas. All correspondence should be addressed to the Development Department. If your name is incorrect or you are receiving duplicate mailings, please call Sue Moore at or cfb@ctfoodbank.org. The Connecticut Food Bank donor reception was sponsored by Power Station Events, David Alan Catering, and Fast Signs. VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 Connecticut Food Bank is a partner of Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to more than 46 million people each year. This Mobile Pantry is a key step forward for the Connecticut Food Bank as we begin our Hunger to Health initiative. This is just the beginning of a burgeoning partnership to collaborate more extensively in other ways with the Fair Haven Community Health Care diabetes prevention program. 15-XCOFB-0219-N 6 L to R: Dr. Mellisa Pensa, of Fair Haven Community Health Care; Pete Bellacicco and Frederick Goodman, of Connecticut Food Bank; and Junta Executive Director Daniel S. Reyes at the Connecticut Food Bank Saturday Mobile Pantry, December 15, Students from Choate School provided volunteer support at the first Saturday Mobile Pantry held in collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta, December 15, Fair Haven Community Health Care is a partner in a new Saturday Mobile Pantry site in New Haven along with Junta for Progressive Action. 1

6 Golden Scoop Corporate Championship Returns April 4 For the third year in a row, teams from Connecticut businesses and corporations will compete for bragging rights to the most muscle in the fight against hunger. The challenge: scoop the most dried pasta in one hour, filling bags one pound at a time. Competitors last year included Wells Fargo, Stop & Shop, Webster Bank, Burns & McDonnell, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eversource, Pepperidge Farm, Knights of Columbus, and Henkel Corporation. Wells Fargo won the crown or scoop by filling 106 cases with 2,120 pounds of pasta in the span of one hour. Saturday Mobile Pantry Launches in New Haven Does your business have what it takes to unseat last year s champs? Contact Mia Allen, Corporate Development Manager, at or her at mallen@ctfoodbank.org to learn more. The Connecticut Food Bank recently launched its first Saturday Mobile Pantry. Working in conjunction with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta for Progressive Action, the Mobile Pantry is offered on the third Saturday of every month from 11:00AM to 12:00PM at John Martinez School in New Haven. The first distribution took place on December 15, The Connecticut Food Bank Recognizes Donors John Martinez School was chosen for a number of reasons. The school is a Summer Meals Mobile Pantry site, and for the past two summers, the number of people visiting the mobile pantry has grown tremendously from an average of 175 people the first summer to an average of 250 people the second summer. Dr. Mellisa Pensa from Fair Haven Community Health Care spearheaded the union of the three programs. Fair Haven Community Health Care is a community health center that prides itself on providing high quality care that is culturally sensitive. Dr. Pensa reached out to the Executive Director of Junta, Daniel S. Reyes, to provide volunteers to distribute the food from the mobile pantry. Junta provides services and programs that improve the social, political, and economic conditions of the Latino community in greater New Haven while building bridges with other communities. The Connecticut Food Bank recognized donors from the business, education, and private sectors at the Annual Donor Appreciation Reception held at the food bank on October 18. The evening recognized many dedicated donors who make possible the work of the Connecticut Food Bank and provided guests with an opportunity to get a glimpse inside the agencies and programs that distribute food throughout our service area. Connecticut Food Bank CEO, Bernie Beaudreau, presented awards in six categories to donors demonstrating long-time commitment and high levels of engagement. 1. The Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools was presented for the second year in a row to the Hopkins School, in New Haven, for their long-standing engagement, volunteerism, and fundraising. 2. The Commitment and Service Award was presented to KeyBank and to James Trimble, a New Haven resident and seven-year volunteer with the Connecticut Food Bank. 3. The Harvest Club Award was presented to Paul and Sandra Linton of Madison, recognizing their decadeslong giving to the Connecticut Food Bank The Corporate Impact Award was presented to Stop & Shop for their significant and ongoing support of the Connecticut Food Bank through food drives, corporate food donations, store-based charitable giving campaigns, and their founding support of the GROW! Up With Good Nutrition program. All three organizations have come together to provide a highly desired service to a community in need. Fair Haven Community Health Care is introducing the services of the Mobile Pantry to the participants of their diabetes prevention program because the mobile pantry specializes in providing fresh produce and dairy items beneficial to people with nutrition-related health issues. Dr. Pensa wants to remove the barriers of access to fresh produce not only to the participants of the Fair Haven Community Health Care program, but to the community at large. Dr. Pensa said the Mobile Pantry is an excellent channel for her participants to bring home fresh produce and put into practice things they have learned in the diabetes prevention program. 5. The Media Impact Award was presented to KC101 FM, for hosting the annual Thanksgiving Stuff-A-Bus food and fund drive, which marked its 28th year in November. 6. The Nancy Carrington Award, for personal commitment to the Connecticut Food Bank, was presented to Norman and Celeste LaCroix, of Westport, recognizing Norman s active support as a Board member and his shared financial and personal support with Celeste at many food bank events. HEADQUARTERS AND 2 Research Parkway Wallingford, CT t/ f/ BRIDGEPORT 229 Mountain Grove Street Bridgeport, CT t/ f/ The Connecticut Food Bank welcomes questions, comments and ideas. All correspondence should be addressed to the Development Department. If your name is incorrect or you are receiving duplicate mailings, please call Sue Moore at or cfb@ctfoodbank.org. The Connecticut Food Bank donor reception was sponsored by Power Station Events, David Alan Catering, and Fast Signs. VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1 Connecticut Food Bank is a partner of Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs that provides food and services to more than 46 million people each year. This Mobile Pantry is a key step forward for the Connecticut Food Bank as we begin our Hunger to Health initiative. This is just the beginning of a burgeoning partnership to collaborate more extensively in other ways with the Fair Haven Community Health Care diabetes prevention program. 15-XCOFB-0219-N 6 L to R: Dr. Mellisa Pensa, of Fair Haven Community Health Care; Pete Bellacicco and Frederick Goodman, of Connecticut Food Bank; and Junta Executive Director Daniel S. Reyes at the Connecticut Food Bank Saturday Mobile Pantry, December 15, Students from Choate School provided volunteer support at the first Saturday Mobile Pantry held in collaboration with Fair Haven Community Health Care and Junta, December 15, Fair Haven Community Health Care is a partner in a new Saturday Mobile Pantry site in New Haven along with Junta for Progressive Action. 1